Unloading apparatus.



PATENTED MAY24, 1904.

G. H. HULETT. UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1902.

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INVENTOR A Horn 12 we Nomus PETEHS c0. PHOYO-L mm wnswmmnu. u. c.

PATENTBD MAY 24, 1904.

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G. H. H-ULETT. UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED mm m, 1902.

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G. H. HULETT. UNLO'ADING APPARATUS.

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No. 760,538. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904. A

G. H. HULETT. UNLGADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1902. I0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. HULETT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,538, dated May 24, 1904. Application filed November 11 1902. Serial Ilo. 130,852- (No model.)

To all whmn it nee/y concern.-

Be it known, that I, GEORGE H. I'IULETT, a resident of Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Unloading Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to animprovement in unloading apparatus, and more particularly to a scraper for moving the contents of the hold of a ship to a point where it can be reached by an excavating-bucket, the object of the invention being to provide improvements of this character which can be lowered through the hatch of a ship and operate automatically below deck to bring the cargo below the hatch into convenient reach of an unloading-bucket. A further object is to provide a scraper comprising a series of blades or shovels carried by an endless chain which can be continuously operated to draw the blades or shovels over the material to move the same to the end of movement thereof.

A further object is to provide improved mounting for the scraper which will enable it to move along the hatch of a ship and be raised, lowered, and held at any incline desired.

A further object is to so construct the scraper and its operating mechanism as to protect the same from dust and dirt.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 'a View in side elevation, with the casing or framework in section, illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front. View thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machinery-floor. Fig. 4 is a side view showing in detail the construction of scraper supported upon a slightlymodified form of leg. Fig. 5 is a front view of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a top plan view thereof, and Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged detailviews of the sprocket-chains.

It has been found from experience that gravity-buckets or what is known as the clamshell type will profitably unload about fifty per cent. of the ore in an ordinary lake steamer and about thirty to forty per cent. of the orein the ordinary type of ocean freightboats. The purpose of this invention is to scrape the remainder of the ore within reach of the gravity-bucket, and, as shown in Figsl 1, 2, and 3, I provide a frame or leg 1, supported by and depending from axles 2, mounted in Wheels 3, designed to run on the combings of the hatch of a boat or,in case of a very wide hatch, on a special track that could be laid across the opening. In order to make it adjustable to hatches of different widths, the

axles 2 are made adjustable longitudinally by making them in sections oppositely screwthreaded at their adjacent ends and screwed into a coupling 3, which latter can be turned to adjust the length of the axle to accommodate it to any ordinary width of batch. Suspended from these axles is the structural frame or leg 1. This frame extends below the second or intermediate deck of the boat, and on opposite sides thereof rollers 4: are mounted and are adjusted toward and away from the frame or leg, the purpose of which being that when the scraperis working lengthwise the boat it will have a tendency to pull the lower end of the frame out of line, and. this tendency is overcome by the rollers 4E striking the beams of the boat.

Mounted in the frame or leg 1 is a circular platform 5, which I term the machineryfloor. It rests upon rollers 6, carried by an internal annular projection or ledge in the frame 1. Another platform, 9, which I term the .operators floor, is located below floor 5 and suspended therefrom by suitable framework, compelling both floors to move together. A motor 7 is mounted on machinery-floor 5 and is connected by double-cone friction-gears 10 and gears 11 with a rack 11 on frame or leg 1, so as to turn the platform in either direction desired. A vertical tube 12 extends through the centerof floors 5 and 9, and while being keyed to the floors has free vertical movement to adjust the height of the scraper, as will hereinafter appear.

To the lower end of tube 12 a frame 13 is secured and carries a horizontal shaft 14, which serves as the pivot of the scraper-leg 15, and a gear 16 is secured on this shaft and connected by a train of gearing with a gear on the lower end of a shaft 17, located in tube 12 and projecting up above the same. On the upper end of this shaft a gear 18 is secured and connected by a train of gearing with motor 7 to rotate shaft 14 and drive the scraper.

The scraper-leg, as shown more in detail in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, comprises a hollow casing or frame 19, open at its bottom and both ends and pivoted near one end on shaft 14 and provided on opposite sides with rollers 20, around which cables or chains 21, secured at one end to the stationary frame, are passed. These ropes or cables are operated by pulleys 22 on a shaft 23, driven by the motor 7 and are loose on said shaft. Suitable clutches 24 are provided, which can lock the pulleys to the shaft to Wind the cables and raise the outer end of the scraper and when released will permit the scraper to lower by its own weight. A suitable brake is provided to lock the pulleys and hold the scraper at any angle desired.

In the outer end of scraper-leg 19 a shaft 26 is mounted, and on this shaft and shaft 14 sprocket-wheels 27 are secured and are connected by endless sprocket-chains 28, carrying the scraping shovels or blades 29. 'The chains 28 each comprise a series of approximately parallel links 30, connected by pins 31, on which rollers 32 are mounted between the links to reduce friction on the sprocketwheels. The pins '31 project beyond one line of links 30 and have mounted thereon other links 33, spaced from said links 30 by Washers 34 and forked arms 35, carrying the blades or shovels 29, as clearly shown. These blades or shovels are disposed at an incline and are located at regular intervals on the chains, so that one is constantly scraping the material. To protect this chain and operating parts from dust and dirt and the material being handled, I secure above and below the chain and to the scraper-leg Z angle-irons 36 and secure above the upper irons 36 beveled timbers 37 to defiect the material away from the chains.

To raise and lowerthe entire scraper-leg I secure ropes, cables, or other connecting devices 40 to the sides of sleeve or tube 12 and to pulleys 41 on the main shaft, and these pulleys can be locked to the shaft by any suitable clutch mechanism to raise the sleeve and scraper-leg carried thereby and be held at any position by a brake operating on the pulleys. When the brake is released, the leg will fall to any position desired and can be again locked by the brake.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: In practice the boom carrying the excavating-bucket would be lowered over the deck of the boat, the automatic bucket would be used for taking outsuch ore as is immedi ately below hatch, thus digging a hole in the material in theboat, and after it has removed what can profitably be removed my improved scraping device is lifted onto the boat and set in operation, continuing the operation of the bucket until the material is all removed with the assistance of two or three men for cleaning up the material remaining in the corners or out of reach of the scraper.

The scraper being supported on wheels can be moved across the boat from one end to the other and can be worked at one end of the hatch while the bucket is taking material out of the other end of the same hatch, thus permitting the unloading to continue While the scraping is being done.

The motor 7 through the medium of the train of gearing and gear 18, shaft 17, and gearing at lower end thereof drives gear 16, shaft 14, and sprocket-wheels 27 and chains 28 to continuously move the blades or shovels and drawthe material toward the center of the boat. The height of the scraper-leg is governed by cables 40 and pulleys 41, as above explained, and when it is desired to swing the leg around to operate on the other side of the supporting-leg 1 a cone-gear 10 is thrown into operation and through the medium of gear 11, engaging rack 11, the leg will be turned to the position desired.

The incline of the leg is regulated by pulleys 22 and cables 21, and all of this operation is under the absolute control of the operator.

A great many changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a scraping apparatus, the combination with an upright frame and rollers thereon to run upon the combings of a hatch, of a support depending from the frame, a leg pivoted to said support, scraping mechanism carried by the leg, means for raising and for turning said support and means for tilting the leg.

2. In a scraping apparatus, the combination with a frame movable over the hatch of a boat, of a support depending from the frame, a leg hinged to the support, endless chains carried by the leg, scrapers on said chains and means for driving the chains, and means for raising and for turning said depending support.

3. In a scraping apparatus, the combination with a frame and a depending support, of a leg hinged to said support and projecting laterally therefrom, endless sprocket-chains housed in said leg, scrapers carried by the chains, means for driving the chains, means for tiltingthe leg and means for raising and turning the support.

4. In a scraping apparatus, the combination with a frame, of a hollow leg hinged thereto and open at its bottom and both ends, shafts mounted in said leg near its ends, sprocketwhcels on said shafts, endless sprocket-chains on the sprocket-wheels, and blades or scrapers secured to the chains.

5. In a scraping apparatus, the combination with a support, of a hollow leg hinged thereto and open in its bottom, sprocket-Wheels incloscd in said leg, endlesssprocket-chains on said wheels, scrapers secured to the chains an d a casing partially inclosing said chains and sprocket-wheels to protect them from the material being handled.

6. In ascraping apparatus, the combination with a leg or support and scraping mechanism carried thereby, of axles adjustable longitudinally and mounted in wheels or rollers to run on the combings of a hatch or on rails across the hatch.

7. In a scraping apparatus, the combination with a support, of a rotary platform therein, a scraper-leg carried by the platform, and means on the platform for turning it, and raising and inclining the scraper-leg.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. HULETJT. Witnesses:

G. I. STEVENSON, H. B. CODY. 

